The President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, revealed that he will run as an independent candidate in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections scheduled for November 23, in a context marked by political instability that has plagued the country for years.

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“I will not be anyone’s hostage, but the President of the Republic. However, all political parties and associations that want to support me are welcome,” said Embaló, who will seek a second term in the elections, according to local media reports late Friday.

The Bissau-Guinean head of state made the announcement during the swearing-in ceremony on Friday for the new Prime Minister, Braima Camara, who became the third head of government since Embaló came to power in 2020. The president will therefore not run under his party, the Movement for Democratic Alternation (MADEM-G15).

Embaló announced last March the holding of general elections — both presidential and legislative — on November 23, after major tensions surrounding the electoral calendar.

On one hand, early legislative elections had initially been scheduled for November 24, 2024, but were postponed by the president earlier that month, citing a lack of necessary technical conditions — a delay rejected by the opposition.

The call for early elections, following the last legislative elections held in June 2023, stemmed from a crisis that erupted in December of the same year, when members of the National Guard stormed a police station — an act described as an attempted coup — which led Embaló to appoint a new government after dissolving the National People’s Assembly (ANP).

Meanwhile, the announcement of presidential elections also sparked tension in the country, as the opposition argued that Embaló’s five-year term would end on February 27, 2025, while the Supreme Court ruled that it would end this coming September, siding with the president.

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